


(and let the love we have live on)

by Deeambles



Series: Keep our love alive, I'll never fade away [3]
Category: Coco (2017), Naruto
Genre: Team Bonding, kakashi says yeet, liberal use of sugar sculls, not today son
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-05-19 15:22:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19359646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deeambles/pseuds/Deeambles
Summary: Sasuke finds it doesn't matter which Uzumaki he associates with, he's willing to go the extra mile for both.





	1. until you're in my arms again

“I don’t have her picture anymore.” Karin says softly.

Sasuke stares at her in silence.

He knows what day tomorrow is, although he hasn’t been able to bring himself to celebrate in years. The day of the dead was always a big celebration, even after the tension between Konoha and the Uchiha got to un-ignorable extremes, it was still a day they could forget.

It’s been years since Sasuke has defected, but he still occasionally wonders if the Hokage ever put one up for the nearly 400 people Itachi slayed that night.

Or maybe, Sasuke thinks grimly, he forbid anybody from doing so under the pretense that other villages could find out how weakened they truly were.

Not for the first time, Sasuke gets reminded how much he truly hates Sarutobi Hiruzen, even years after the man’s death.

“Maybe” Sasuke responds quietly. “We can find one?”

Karin looks up at that. Whether it’s because he’s offering to help her for probably the first time ever, or because she’s debating on calling him an idiot, he’s not sure.

“You’re an idiot, Sasuke.” She says.

Well, he probably is, but that doesn’t stop him from huffing and staring at the far wall from where they sit in a small ally, waiting for Suigetsu to return.

Juugo sits silently on Sauske’s left. He didn’t follow the tradition or probably any holiday considering his background, but he understands the general attitude in the air.

If Karin has dropped her crush long enough to have a serious conversation, then it must be something grave indeed.

It’s not something Suigetsu, a guy from Kiri, would understand, even without his and Karin’s constant bickering to ruin the mood.

“Do you know somebody who’d have one?” Sasuke asks once the awkwardness in the air becomes intolerable.

“There might be one on her grave. The headmaster was never sorry for working her to death, but she was sorry that I had to live alone. She always said I’d be welcome and the grave would be managed by someone.”

Suigetsu comes airing the corner then, waving fried food, and yelling to start running or be prepared to pay a lot of money they don’t have.

Sasuke is suddenly reminded why they don’t let Suigetsu do the shopping.

Once they reach the outskirts of the village they’d found, Juugo breaks his silence he’d been caring since the last village they’d dared to go in. 

“Where to now, Sasuke-kun?”

Their cutting it close. Dia los Muertos is tomorrow and truthfully the place he’s thinking is a little close to the land of fire for Sasuke’s tastes, but graveyards don’t tend to be highly populated as it is, and the one day a year they are will give them a perfect cover, so they can probably get away with it.

Sasuke turns toward the setting sun and lets the hawk soaring overhead be his guide. He hasn’t celebrated in years, but even doing a small one for Karin’s mom, should they find a picture makes something deep inside twist. He mills over the feeling—it’s something he thought he wouldn’t get the chance to feel again— before answering over his shoulder.

“Kusagakure.”


	2. I'll hold you in my heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> kusa shenanigans

The trip to Kusa is… eventful. 

Suigetsu doesn’t understand what the big deal about the day of the dead is and makes sure everybody knows he doesn’t get it. Juugo is silent except for the occasional redirecting. Karin is unusually somber, but still allows herself to be riled up into a fist fight that Suigetsu predictably taps out of by becoming a puddle. 

When they cross the border into the land of grass, Sasuke has to put three border patrol shinobi into a genjutsu to make them forget they were there after Juugo accidentally tripped—yes, he actually, whole heartily, tripped— and landed on his face right in the path of them. 

Suigetsu has not stopped talking about it, and Sasuke tried to ask if Juugo was okay, but got a “don’t worry about it, Sasuke-kun” and decided that whatever that was about he better just leave it alone. 

It isn’t till they sneak into Kusa and find the graveyard that the team goes silent. 

Sasuke hasn’t been to any shrine since he forced himself to do the shrine for as many Uchiha’s pictures he could get his hands on. In the beginning, he tried to remember everyone’s names and faces he could. 

As he gets older, it gets harder. At 7 years old he wasn’t as attentive as he should of been, clan heads son or not. 

But then again, nobody gets told when their world is going to be flipped upside down, it simply happens. 

Karin takes lead then and the others follow at a more sedate pace as she walks hesitantly down the rows. She only misses by one, but Sasuke thinks that’s forgivable considering how many have probably been added in the last years since she’s been here. 

Kusa is in between two great nations after all. 

The grave stone is well kept, as Karin implied it should be, and it even has half wilted Lily’s sitting on top. Sasuke watches as she untucks a horribly sun bleached photograph from where it’s stuck between a tile or two. 

Even faded and worn, the blood red hair that belongs to the woman in photograph stands out like the photo was only taken seconds ago. 

Karin rises and puts the picture away, before turning back toward their group, towards Sasuke. 

“They’ll recognize me, if I enter the Market. These people in Kusa are born here and die here. Even if they don’t remember me they’ll remember my hair.” 

Suigetsu rubs awkwardly at the back his neck

“My teeth stand out this far inland ya know. And I’ve got this baby to think about too.” Patting the lovingly shined sword on his back. 

Juugo is silent when they turn to look at him, considering the village from afar. 

“We have no money.” He says calmly. 

Shit, Sasuke thinks, he’s right. Not that it’s a problem really, but Juugo’s size doesn’t make him adept at stealing. Bending down to grab money from people’s pockets is as suspicious as orphans reaching over a too big counter for bread. 

Karin turns toward Sasuke, and he already knows he’s going to be the one to go in. He’s got his face on a wanted poster just about everywhere, but as long as he changes out of anything with the Uchiha crest and puts his head down, he should be fine. 

Nearly ten minutes later he’s walking down the street in some black pants, a navy blue long sleeved, and a pair of ninja sandals versus the more modern boot he usually wears. No uchiwa sewn anywhere. 

He slouches too, in a way that he knows would have Mikoto laying her hands on his shoulders and driving a thumb into his back and pulling. 

It’s a good disguise though, Sasuke Uchiha is proud and stubborn, and wears high collard, low cut robes. 

Sasuke’s is a normal cut, low colored shirt, and a casual pace that screams Nara before it will ever whisper proper Uchiha. 

The lady selling petals doesn’t even blink twice. The man bundling marigolds laughs and tells him to straighten up, else he end up with a crick in his back like him. The teenage twins painting sugar sculls give him two; one with swirling whirlpools and the other that has decorated red flowers on it. 

He gracefully accepts with all the polite, but not too polite, manners he can muster. 

He goes to turn around from studying a table, a stool really, before he nearly runs right into a green flask jacket and Sasuke thinks oh fuck. 

Grey hair and slanted hitai-ate stare down at him. 

A small pug sits at his feet. 

The bastard has the nerve to smile, squinty eye and all at him. 

“Good afternoon, Sasuke.” 

Sasuke, who has been doing a damn good job of not drawing attention to himself, casually considers the pros and cons of summoning a hawk and flying out the large glass window. He knew getting this close to Fire country was a mistake. 

A flash of orange outside and all of a sudden that desire to flee turns into a desire to puke. 

Kakashi hums, staring down at the contents of his bags, before subtly blocking his escape route via window. 

“Going somewhere, Sasuke?” 

“Yes, Excuse me.” 

Kakashi raises an eyebrow. 

“Can I come?” 

Sasuke blinks at him, caught off guard. He doesn’t want to see what’s undoubtedly his old team. He tried to kill Naruto last time he saw him and he legit nearly took off Sakura’s head like it was nothing, and then there was some other dude with a traditional art style kekei genkei who Sasuke is sure is soulless. 

He does not want them staring at him the whole time they try to set up an altar. So, he bluffs, and bluffs hard. 

“Sure. Go get Naruto.” He says dismissively

“How do you know I brought Naruto” Kakashi says mildly, examining the little trinkets behind his head.

“He still wears orange.” 

Kakashi hums, neither disagreeing nor agreeing to that statement before looking over Sasuke’s face again. 

“That’s a large step up from trying to kill us.” 

“Well, I’m with another Uzumaki. He should meet her. We’re setting up an altar.” 

“Oh?” Kakashi says, listening more intently than before, although Sasuke thinks his hands have been on a kunai the whole time, since he sees no gaudy orange book. 

“Yeah, she knows some people and we have a couple pictures. Naruto would do good to know another Uzumaki. And you know, maybe meet someone who knew his own mother. Does he know who she was yet? His father?” 

Sasuke’s not sweating, it’s just insufferably hot in this store. 

Kakashi watches him carefully, waiting for whatever bullshit Sasuke’s spewing to hit a point of fuck up or proof he’s telling the truth. 

Sasuke has two seconds to remember an old picture on his fireplace of his mom and dad, standing with the yondaime Hokage and a red head with hair down to her ankles. 

He’d broken the frame once and the picture had writing on the back in pen. A date. Four names. And Sasuke takes a chance on blonde hair blue eyes and a village wide secret that really only applied to his generation. 

“Uzumaki Kushina deserves to be remembered. Namik—“

“Stop, Sasuke.” Kakashi interrupts, now eyeing around for anyone listening and holy shit, Sasuke realizes, Naruto dad was the yondaime and his mom was a jounin and they were both friends with his parents. No wonder Mikoto used to be so mad about Naruto being an orphan. It wasn’t that she hated him, it was her friend’s son. 

Before Kakashi can interrogate him, or strangle him, or arrest him or whatever he planned to do, Naruto barges Into the shop, churro in hand, and cinnamon all over his whiskers. 

“Hey! Kakashi sensei! Me and Sakura-Chan found—“

“Kakashi-sensei?” Naruto asks curiously. 

Naruto watches Kakashi blink, as if his attention was elsewhere before turning to Naruto with stupid bullshit smile. 

“Yes, my cute student?” 

“Uhh, were you talking to someone or something?” Naruto asks hesitantly, trying to look around him. Although all he sees are some stools and little nick knacks. 

Kakashi eyes over his shoulder. Not even the dust is disturbed where Sasuke did an impressive kawarimi as far away as he could go, when a shop owner walked through the back door. 

He’s improved, for better or worse. 

“Mah, Naruto, I was just looking. Let’s see what you and Sakura found.” 

He gives a discreet signal to Pakkun, no pursuit, before following Naruto out. Sasuke has his hands full, and he doesn’t want to know if his old student was lying or not. 

That’s a truth for another time. 

/.../

Juugo notices Sasuke is... unnerved when he returns. His hands are full of little sweets and flowers and some scull that he was informed is actually sugar, not bone. He hands off most of it to Karin who starts putting them around her mother’s grave, and he take some good-natured jabbing from Suigetsu for taking so long but he still looks, well, not nervous. 

Sasuke is never truly nervous, but shaken is probably accurate. 

He watches Sasuke glance over his shoulder a time or two and decides he doesn’t know what ghost Sasuke ran into while he was out, but he seemed almost excited to be able to participate in this holiday again, even if Juugo was the only one to notice. He doesn’t want that previous excitement to fade from whatever it is that Sasuke saw. 

Juugo decides then he’ll try to offer as much comfort as he can as he goes to sit directly behind the group, more specifically, directly between them and the village. His large frame providing a block from anyone peeking too closely, but also a way for them to look in the direction of the main village discreetly. 

Sasuke doesn’t acknowledge him, but his shoulders relax a bit as he joins Juugo on the ground. 

They spend the evening chatting, and snacking and they lay out a little path way of petals. Juugo sneaks some crumbs to curious birds, and Karin and Sasuke talk about old traditions in a conversation that lasts longer than all their previous ones combined. Even Suigetsu gets pulled into it, and he’d rather be off cutting people’s heads off or collecting more swords. When the stars come out, and they listen silently to some music playing, a couple of older ladies visiting the graveyard drop off some extra food for them, citing that they look too thin, even when everyone else eyes their weapons and ignores them. 

Their full off food and sweets, Karin and Sasuke are comforted, and Juugo and Suigetsu take the unplanned break from sneaking and trying not to kill people as some well stocked pit stop. 

The candles burn on and clear skies bring team Taka good fortune for what seems the first time in a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kakashi: hmm, an S-ranked missing nin and ex-student that my current students are obssesed with  
> Sasuke: yeah, if you make a scene I'm outing village secrets and you'll have to explain them to Naruto  
> kakashi:...  
> Sasuke:...
> 
> kakashi: Have a nice day!


End file.
